)
BJP's Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi today said Congress has already accepted defeat as the party plans to support a Third Front government at the Centre to keep him out of the race.
The 63-year-old Gujarat Chief Minister was speaking to reporters after casting his vote in Gandhinagar constituency of party veteran L K Advani.
Skirting a direct reply to a question on attacks by Priyanka Gandhi on him, Modi said, "Congress has accepted defeat as it is now saying that it will support the Third Front to keep me out of race.
"The Prime Minister, the Finance Minister and other senior ministers are not in the contest. Tall leaders of Congress are running away from elections," he said.
"Now, some are trying to save their chair, some are trying to save themselves and some are trying to save prestige of the Congress party," he said in reply to repeated questions on Priyanka Gandhi's tirade against him and BJP.
One of the early voters, Modi cast his ballot at Nishan School polling booth in Ghatlodia area of the city. Ghatlodia Assembly seat, which is part of Ahmedabad city, falls in the Gandhinagar Assembly constituency from where Advani is contesting.
Asked about the threat of a defamation suit against him by Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress, Modi said he has been facing cases for the past 12 years and wished good luck to those who do not wish to fight elections in a democratic way.
"For the last 12 years I have faced cases from CBI and others. Those who do not wish to fight the elections in democratic way, good luck to them on the way they want to take," he said.
